Memories of You
by R.W. Maxwell
Summary: While in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry reflects on a certain blonde Slytherin and how she changed his life since he has entered into the magical world. For Heidlebergchick for the inspiration Go raibh maith agat as an gcabhair. Is bean dhinimite tú Warning: Mild Swearing Written for IWSC


School:Hogwarts

Theme:Constellation - Andromeda - The Chained Maiden

Prompt:[Main] St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and injuries

1st Prompt:[Setting] Astronomy Tower

2nd Prompt: [Creature] Occamy

Year: 7th

Story Title/Link: Memories of You

Wordcount: 3300 (before AN)

Warning: Mild Swearing

While in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry reflects on a certain blonde Slytherin and how she changed his life since he has entered into the magical world. For Heidlebergchick for the inspiration _Go raibh maith agat as an gcabhair. Is bean dhinimite tú_

Memories of You

_St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, First Floor, Room 2_

A seventeen-year-old Harry Potter slowly opened his eyes as the morning sun streamed through the window of his room. The brightness stung enough for him to have to shut his eyes; he grimaced.

He couldn't believe his 'sheer dumb luck' as Professor McGonagall would have called it. He had been hit by a stray curse just as the final battle with Voldemort ended. While he didn't know who cast the spell, he was told it was a rogue Death Eater they had somehow missed. His injuries weren't too great, but they had decided to keep him for a couple of days, 'for observation'. Harry figured it had more to do with who he was rather than his injuries.

Still, Harry was glad to get some peace and quiet and was definitely looking forward to spending some time with his girlfriend, Daphne Greengrass, who he was sitting by his bed reading. Harry smiled as he remembered their first meeting on Platform 9 ¾ like it was yesterday.

* * *

~_Flashback~_

_Platform 9 ¾, September 1st, 1991_

Harry looked around the platform wondering where this supposed Platform 9 ¾ could be. When he asked the conductor, the older man looked at Harry as if he was daft. Harry asked a couple of other people, but they were no help either. It wasn't until he leaned up against the column between sections Nine and Ten that he fell through.

Then he saw a great old fashion red and black steam engine. The gold lettering on the front said 'HOGWARTS EXPRESS'. The young man was ecstatic; he had managed to find the platform without help, albeit by accident, but he didn't care.

He looked to the large clock; he had a few minutes to spare. With a bit of effort, he was able to find an empty compartment in which to stow his belongings. Harry Opened Hedwig's cage to allow her to stretch her wings. Harry settled down and opened one of his first-year books: '_A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration - By Emeric Switch'_.

He was so engrossed that he didn't hear the door to his compartment open, nor did he hear the feminine voice swear in some unknown dialect. He finally looked up when he heard the loud thump of something landing on the ground before him. A small pale blonde girl stood in front of him, she wore something that looked like it was from the Victorian age, and she had angry ice-blue eyes, as she sat on the floor before him.

"Well, aren't you going to offer any assistance to a lady?" she asked in a cross tone.

"I . . . I'm sorry," Harry stammered, as he held his hand.

"I'm Daphne Greengrass if you wanted to know!"

Daphne Greengrass reached and gripped his hand as she pulled herself up and smoothed out her dress. Harry moved to pick up her trunk to set it on the rack.

"Sorry about that, are you alright?" he asked, as he looked at her.

"I'm fine," she retorted with a huff.

Daphne looked Harry up and down; inspecting him. Her eyes narrowed at his state of dress. "Your name?"

Harry looked confused and then replied, "Potter, Harry Potter."

'_Harry Potter!' _Daphne was awestruck, but schooled her expression. '_How could this be? He looks like a waif.'_ She eyes glanced at his forehead, where the lightning bolt scar stood out. Their compartment opened and there stood a blonde ponce; Draco Malfoy. He had his two bookends with him, or were they bodyguards.

"Sitting amongst the rabble, Greengrass?" Draco asked with a sneer, "How droll, even for you."

Harry had started to say something, but Daphne placed a hand on his arm stopping him from speaking."I'll have you know, Heir Malfoy, that just for your insult to the Heiress of a Most Ancient and Noble house, not to mention to the Last Heir of another Ancient and Noble house, you could be called out to pay reparations," Daphne stated. "Be thankful that I, as well as Heir Potter, will excuse this slight."

Draco Malfoy seemed to be doing a humorous impersonation of a goldfish. Daphne placed her wand tip to his chest and pushed him out the door of their compartment.

"Now, Heir Potter, where were we?" she asked with a smirk.

* * *

As he looked at the white walls of his room, Harry remembered how Daphne had informed Harry what his station was, and what was expected of him. It was an informative talk, not to mention it was the first time anyone had taken an interest in him. She even gave him pointers on clothes.

"After all," she stated, "the clothes maketh the man."

They arrived at Hogwarts, and were sorted; Harry to Gryffindor and Daphne to Slytherin. It was hard; they both thought they had lost a potential friend. However, that was not the case, as even with house politics, they managed to meet in secret, and they resolved to remain friends regardless of what others thought.

For the next three years, he thought of new and inventive ways to ditch Ron and Hermione to meet up with Daphne—usually to the Astronomy Tower, their special place. Harry tired of Ron's anti-Slytherin rants, regardless of how he and Hermione reminded him that they weren't all like Draco and his group.

Then the unthinkable happened in their fourth year; his name had come out of the Goblet of Fire. Harry had given an oath, as Daphne had taught him, but he was forced to partake in the Triwizard Tournament. For a while, no one except Daphne and Hermione had believed him that he hadn't put his name in the goblet. Everyone called him a liar; a cheat. What had hurt the most was that Ron had believed it too.

Harry's thoughts drifted back to one of the Astronomy Tower training sessions with Daphne when she had begun teaching him the '_Accio' _spell for the first task against the dragons.

* * *

_~Flashback~_

The chill that was coming through the open windows where the owls would come and go said it was early evening. The dimming light on the grey walls of the tower showed that the sun had almost set for the day. As Daphne pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, Harry was down on his knees in exhaustion; all of this constant spell casting that she had him doing was brutal. They had been in the Astronomy Tower for hours. Each time he tried to cast the spell, it seemed to fizzle out before it even left his wand.

Was it Harry's pronunciation, or his wand movements?

"Come on Harry, you can do this. Remember magic is all about intent as well as the movement and words." the young blonde said as she helped her friend up. "Maybe what you need is a bit of incentive. Try to picture someone in a burning building, and you have to save them," Daphne offered. "Don't force the magic; let it flow and mold it to what you want to do."

Closing his eyes, Harry began focussing on his magic. He felt it as it traveled from his core up to his arm. He felt the magic as it moved through his fingertips, and into his wand. Just as it reached the tip of his wand, he chanted the incantation with a smirk worthy of his marauder heritage.

"_Accio_, Daphne."

* * *

Daphne stood there watching Harry as he pulled himself up to try again. While she was both amazed and impressed that her friend never stopped pushing himself; she knew the potential was there and that was why she pushed him so hard.

She watched her friend struggle as she had for the past four years,. They had long since become adept in hiding their friendship from both their houses. The only one who knew was Granger, and she had promised to keep quiet about the whole thing, which was good because the blonde Slytherin was afraid she would have to obliviate the bookish Gryffindor.

Over time both girls had warmed up to each other, especially when it came to Harry. Soon they too had a close friendship, but not as close the trio. For a while Daphne was jealous of the young brunette because she could talk to her green-eyed friend whenever she felt like it, while she, on the other hand, had to skulk around like a common thief.

Sighing inwardly Daphne watched as Harry picked himself up, and started focusing on his magic. She could feel the power radiating off him as he brought his wand up and gasped as she realized it was pointed at her. A smirk played in his lips as he spoke.

"_Accio,_ Daphne."

Daphne let out an unladylike squawk as she flew through the air and landed in Harry's outstretched arms. She looked into those jade green eyes. He returned her gaze, sending shivers through her. Letting her feet hit the ground, she straightened her clothing out and smiled.

"Excellent work, Harry," the Slytherin witch said with a smile on her lips. "But just so you know, you cast that again and I am not in a burning house, or in danger, I will make you regret it, you prat."

"Yes, Princess," Harry said with a grin. "It will never happen again."

* * *

_~Flashback - The First Task~_

Harry stood at the entrance to the stadium waiting for the signal to begin. The crowd exploded into a mixture of boos and cheers from the combination of those who still called him a cheater and those who knew otherwise. Harry looked down at the small figurine that he held in his hand, and compared it to the creature before him. Mr. Bagman had called it an Occamy.

Harry looked in awe of the creature as it never seemed to stay in one place. If it wasn't for the huge teal wings and bird like head, Harry could say that it reminded him of the basilisk. What struck him the most was the iridescent shimmering of the hide colored in mixture of turquoise and palest of blues that reminded him of Daphne's eyes.

As the cannon blast went off Harry reacted with the speed of a seeker. Gritting his teeth in determination as he recalled what happened in the Astronomy Tower Harry called upon his magic praying that his beloved Firebolt would heed his call. Looking out on the field he noticed the silver egg among the others, and the Occamy was keeping a close eye on him.

The crowd was beginning to get restless because to them it just looked like Harry was standing there, and they started to murmur in confusion. Finally Harry's Firebolt came into view, with a leap Harry swung his leg over the broom shooting out toward his target.

The Occamy, being a territorial creature, intentions reared back flaring her wings in a show of dominance and anger at the audacity of this tiny creature as it dared try to get at her nest. The crowd gasped as they watch Harry skirt around each strike of the Occamy's sharp beak. Knowing that he needed to lure her away from the area he flew in close to the eggs in a zigzagging pattern. At first she followed him, but after a few second she retreated to protect her eggs.

Harry continued the action of moving in close to the Occamy and her eggs, then darting away until she had gotten frustrated with them, lunging at him with terrifying speed, twisting her body as Harry continued dodging the beautiful creature. With each turn and twist, Harry dodged each strike pushing both his own abilities, and that of his broom. He found the opening he needed, and swiftly snatched the egg from the nest.

Harry landed to the cheers of the stadiums crowd for the youngest tournaments champion, who had completed the untouched, and quicker than any of the others, Harry's eyes scanned the crowd for those of the only person who mattered, Daphne.

Daphne entered the Champions Tent, stepping into the shadows, just in time to hear Harry tell Ron to bugger off for not believing him when this fiasco first started. Hermione tried to get Harry to see reason, but Harry stood fast in his conviction. The black haired youth told Ron that when he pulled his head out of his arse, to stop and think, then they would talk. Ron, as usual, stalked off mad leaving Harry and Hermione there after saying a few choice words. Thus the Golden Trio had ended.

Daphne waited until Ron had left before coming out of the shadows, and congratulating Harry.

Walking up to Harry, she gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, blushing slightly as she backed away.

"I knew you could do it," Daphne said with a smile. "That was an excellent bit of flying as well Harry."

"That's only because I had the best teachers. Thank you both," Harry said with a grin. "Especially you, Daphne." The young man said as he pulled the blonde into a hug placing her head right on his chest.

Hermione smiled at her two friends before silently making her way out of the tent; she would catch up with them later. Right now she had a certain redhead to give a bollocking to.

Harry and Daphne stood there in deep contemplation, enjoying the feeling of each others company and certainly not wanting it to end.

"So, where do we go from here?" Harry asked curiously .

"Honestly, I know what I want, Harry," Daphne answered truthfully, "the question is: where does Harry Potter want this to go?"

She was almost afraid to hear his answer. She had known how she felt about her green-eyed friend ever since their second year. She had kept quiet about it because she didn't want to mess up a great question was, did he feel the same? Her heart skipped a beat as he pulled away and she felt his lips on hers a few seconds later. She pulled him close to deepen the kiss, the outside world vanished for a moment.

* * *

As Harry looked boredly around his room, the shadows on the wall told him that it was sometime in the late afternoon. Daphne and his nurse had brought him in something to eat to keep up his strength. While eating, he and Daphne spoke of things dealing with how everything was going, with her family.

After a bit the nurse had come to remove the dishes, Daphne had gone back to her book, while Harry thought about when they had officially became a couple after the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He had even respected the Old Ways and asked her father permission to see his daughter, which not only impressed Daphne, but her parents as well.

Daphne had been his rock and shelter in the storm when he lost Sirius in his fifth year, and then Dumbledore in his sixth year. He was a mess emotionally in both cases, but she had helped him through it all. Over the course of months, they had all begun to train hard and furious. Researching everything they could get their greedy little hands on. He would have probably been dead if it wasn't for her, especially during the final battle in which she had not only saved his life, but also helped him put a stop to Voldemort.

As he lay there in his bed mind drifted back to the final battle.

* * *

~_Flashback~_

After the first salvo of spells had been cast, everything appeared to be going like clockwork. Working in pairs they had some who would cast defensive spells while others could concentrate on offensive spells.

Colors exploded around the combatants, as spells splashed across the shields.

Casualties were heavy on both sides, Light and Dark alike. Soon the bodies were starting to pile up and made traversing the combat field, hard. Harry could see Daphne with her friend, Tracey Davis, going toe to toe against the likes of Dolohov, Rosier, and LeStrange. Each fight was ruthless and devastating as they used spells from their family grimoires, using a combination of spells that would make even the most deadly opponent stop and consider them more carefully.

Harry scanned the battlefield to find his quarry; finally, he spotted Lord Voldemort heading in his direction, with his wand casually batting away spells as if they were nothing, Harry's hand gripped the elder wand as he felt a familiar presence next to him.

"Are you ready for this my love?" a soft, but hardened voice asked.

Looking over he saw Daphne, her wand at the ready. He quickly spotted Tracey with Hermione fighting Bellatrix, as they stood over Molly Weasley protectively, before he nodded.

"Let's go save the world," she said as they both fired off _Reducto's_ at the soon to be former Dark Lord.

Side by side in a harrowing dance, they cast and countered spells coming at them either shielding them or simply batting them aside, as one would an annoying pest. What they didn't catch, others did, as they began their dance with Voldemort. The fierceness of the spells being cast made even Voldemort take pause before he returned fire with his own arsenal of spells.

At one point Daphne heard the Killing Curse being cast and instinctively brought up a wall between Harry and his foe; it exploded into a million pieces. Some of them cut into her cheeks causing her to wince in pain. She danced out of the way of a slicing hex before returning with a blood boiling curse of her own design. The spell hit its unseeing target, and his body exploded.

On and on the battle raged, both of them were starting to feel the effect of using their magic. Harry looked at Daphne and nodded. In unison, they started chanting in Latin causing black flames to form around Voldemort. Slowly, as it engulfed the evil wizard, they saw him starting to burn. They both kept up their chanting, until the wizard formerly known as Tom Riddle, was no more.

* * *

It was shortly after that, that Harry was hit with a spell of unknown origin and he blacked out. He had heard from others that it was a little soldier ant of Voldemort's that got him, and what Daphne did afterwards had even him turning green.

"Oh good, you're awake," stated a familiar voice, startled him out of his reverie. "How are you feeling?"

Harry looked up to see Daphne looking at him from her book with a smile on her lips. Pushing himself into a sitting position. "Better than I was a few days ago," he said with a slight chuckle.

Whispering a soft _Accio_ Harry felt a small box slide into his hand, smiling he looked at the beautiful blonde woman who had come to mean so much more to him since they first met.

"Beloved, there is something I have been meaning to ask you," the raven-haired man said with a smile on his lips.

Opening the box revealing the silver ring with an gemtone made of aquamarine placed in the center. It was the same color of both her eyes and the palest coloring from the Occamy she had admired from the tournament. Gasping as the realization hit her of what the ring represented.

"You have stood by my side for years now as my best friend. You have shown me you are one of the strongest women I know, and I owe every one of my successes to you because you pushed me to reach my potential. I can't even begin to picture my life without you in it. Daphne Alexia Greengrass...Will you marry me?"


End file.
